560 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



remark naturally arises to the mind of every one 

 who inspects tnis really very su|it'riur breed, how 

 has ii arisen that these animals have until now 

 remained unknown within a journey ol seven or 

 eignt days Iruin Calcutta I The only answer is — 

 must people go ihrough life wiih tlieir eyes shut. 

 We hope Mr. Hutinagle will lully cmry out his 

 intention of breeding Irom these cows not only by 

 a Nagore but by an English bull, and our desire is 

 siill greater, that a Lepcha bull should be brought 

 to the presidency. We saw the cows during the 

 hottest period of the day, and, though in not he 

 best sheltered of sheds, they did not seem to sutler 

 Irom the heat ; whilst the Yak, though in a much 

 cooler place was panting extremely. — Calcutta 

 Courier, May 22. 



A day or two since we noticed the yak, or kash- 

 gow, brouglu to Calcutta by JMr. HuHiiagle, and 

 which may be seen on the premises ol JMr. Adam 

 F. Smith. At that time we iiad been unable to 

 meet with any notice of its habits, but since then 

 we have found the following highly interesting 

 particulars in a work just published — " Lieutenant 

 Wood's Journey to ilie Source of the Oxus." 



" The yak is to the inhabitants of Thibet and 

 Pamet, what the rein-deer is to the Luplanderin 

 norihern Europe. Where a man can walk, a 

 kashgow may be ridden. Like the elephant, he, 

 possesses a vvonderlul knowledge ol what will 

 bear his weight. If travellers are at fault, one ol 

 these animals is driven belore them, and it is said 

 that he avoids the hidden depths and chasms 

 with admirable sagacity. His looting is sure. 

 Should a lall of snow close a mountain pass to 

 man and horse, a score of yaks driven ahead 

 answer the purpose of pioneers, and make, as 

 my inlormanl expresses it, ' a king''s highway.'' 

 In this case, however, the snow must have re- 

 cently lallen, lor wlieii once its sutface is Irozen 

 and lis depth considerable, no animal can force its 

 way through it. Other cattle require the provi- 

 dent care ol" man to subsiat them through the 

 winter. The most hardy sheep would lare but 

 badly without its human protection, but the kash- 

 gow is lelt entirely to itself. He freciuenis the 

 mountain slopes and their level summits. Wher- 

 ever the mercury does not rise above zero, is a 

 climate lor the yak. II" the snow on the elevated 

 Hats lies too deep lor him to crop the herbage, he 

 rolls himself down the slopes and eats his way 

 up again. When arrived at the top he perlbrms 

 a second summerset, and completes his meal as 

 he displaces another grove of snow in his second 

 ascent. The heat of summer sends the animal 

 to what is termed the old ice, that is, to the re- 

 gions of eternal snow, the calf being retained 

 below as a pledge lor the mother's return, in 

 -which she never fails. In the summer, the 

 women, like the pastoral inhabitants of the Alps, 

 encamp in the higher valleys, which are inter- 

 Bpersed among the snowy mountains, and devote 

 their whole time to the dairy. The men remain 

 on the plain, and attend to the agricultural part 

 of the establishment, but occasionally visit the 

 upper stations, and all speak in rapture of this 

 summer wandering. The kashgows are gre- 

 garious, and set the wolves, which here abound, 

 at defiance. Their hair is clipped once a year in 

 the spring. The tail is the well known chowry 

 of Hindustan, but in this country its strong, wiry, 

 and pliant hair is made into ropes, which, lor 



strength, do not yield to those manufactured from 

 hemp. The hair of the body is woven into mats, 

 and also in a strong fabric, which makes excellent 

 riding trousers. The milk of the yak is richer 

 than that of the common cow, though the quan- 

 tity it yields be less." 



ON BRAK AS MANURE. 



From tlie London Fariiiers' Magazine. 



To the Editor of the Mark-Lane Express. — In 

 confirmation of a letter that appeared in your pa- 

 per on July 19, respecting the analysis and use 

 of bran as a manure, I beg to slate the Ibllowing 

 lacts : — In 1839, some bran had been thrown on 

 a meadow carelessly and inconsiderately, and 

 wherever so thrown, the marked improvement in 

 the cut of the grass was so great as lo draw at- 

 tention to the lact ; indeed, the benefit was 

 greater than I ever saw Irom any other manure, 

 when applied in such quantities, and at a cost 

 that would be likely to leave a return /or the 

 outlay. This induced my giving it more atten- 

 tion in 1840, when I applied one-third of a ion 

 to an acre, at a cost, at the lime, of 37s. ; the 

 return was an increase of half a ton of hay to an 

 acre over the ground not so manured, equal last 

 year in value to 3/., and the after- math was 

 doubled, which I consider was worth 10s. per 

 acre to me, and to all persons short of lijed (which 

 was generally the case in that year) it would 

 have proved of still greater value. Thus the 

 account stands : — 



Cost of bran 

 Profit per acre 



£1 17 

 1 13 



3 10 



Increased value of 



hay - - £3 00 

 Do. of after-math \(i 



3 10 



On the whole, it appeared so beneficial and 

 remunerating, that I have this year drilled some 

 with my turnips ; the soil is a sandy loam; the 

 qnantiiy used is a quarter o( a ton per acre, at 

 present worth 1/. 2s. M., being at the rate of 4/. 

 10s. per ton, whilst other portions of the field 

 have been dressed with yard manure. Unto the 

 present time, I am not able to detect the slightest 

 difl'eience ; the portion where the bran is used be- 

 ing quite equal to the dunged ground ; but when 

 the crop is matured, and in its greatest perfection, 

 1 will not fail of making a fur;her report. 



In applying the bran, I have damped it to pre- 

 vent its blowing away, or else have chosen a 

 damp day without wind ; but since the letter 

 above alluded to appeared in your paper, I have 

 heard of its being drilled with the turnip seed 

 quite dry, and that ii has run remarkably well. 



On the whole, I (eel pretty certain that the mo- 

 derate cost, the great liacility of many farmers ob- 

 taining it from his neighboring miller, its easy 

 application, and its good result, will soon induce it 

 to be reckoned among the most economical, and 

 therefore the most beneficial of the manures that 

 has lately called for the consideration of the agri- 

 culturist. J. Welch. 



ISteep, near Petersfield, Aug. 1841. 



